The Heart Must Survive
by chikorita18
Summary: This one'll make or break my career...summary: Ash and Misty are planning their wedding and couldn't be happier with their lives. But something unexpected is waiting just around the corner...
1. Default Chapter

The Heart Must Survive  
Part 1  
  
Disclaimer: Don't you even think of suing me, 'cause my money's going to a new DVD player and Pokémon DVDs.  
  
Summary: After dating for close to two years, Ash and Misty are beginning to think about getting married. But an unexpected threat threatens to tear the two lovers apart...  
  
A/N: This part seems happy and all that, but that's just plot tactics. It'll twist off at the end, and believe me, by the time this fic is over, one character is gonna wish that he was never born *evil grin*  
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The sunlight drifted in lazily through the window, lightening the room and revealing the young couple cuddled in bed together. They were young, the boy no more than seventeen and the girl just barely nineteen, but one look at the peaceful expressions on both young faces could convince the most hardened heart that they were deeply in love.   
The boy shifted in his sleep, his jet-black hair falling across his boyish features. One couldn't tell because of his closed eyelids, but his eyes were a deep chestnut colour, so deep that one could get lost in his eyes just by looking at them alone. His once rough features were beginning to smooth out in such a way that made almost every girl in town melt. His body was finely toned, supposedly by heritage, because he almost never made an effort to go to a fitness centre.  
The girl resting comfortably in his arms sported a head of fiery orange hair. Her eyes were deep aqua pools that could change face in a second if the situation called for it - soft and romantic one minute, tough and quick the next. Once just a little bit scrawny, she had filled out her form nicely, and she owed part of it to weekly visits to the local fitness centre.  
The sunlight finally caused the boy to open his eyes, slowly, as if being awakened from slumber was a crime. He rolled over to look at his girlfriend, brushing her hair from her face and gently kissing her to wake her up.  
She tried to ignore it for a minute, but reluctantly opened her eyes. A smile crept onto her face at the recognition of her boyfriend. "Good morning, Ash," she said softly.  
"Good morning, Misty," Ash whispered. "Did you sleep well?"  
Misty nodded. "It wasn't long enough, though," she said. "I was dreaming about us..."  
Ash smiled. "You never dream about anything else, you know," he said.  
"Is there something wrong with that?" Misty asked, sitting up slowly.  
Ash remained lying down. "Not a thing," he said, admiring the way the sunlight bounced across her features.   
"I dreamed that we were getting married this time...it was so beautiful...everyone we knew was there..."  
Ash slowly sat up. "You really do want to get married, don't you?" he asked.   
Misty nodded.  
For a moment, the only sound in the room was that of their breathing. Finally, Ash spoke up. "So do I," he said.  
"Then what's stopping us?" Misty said. "Why don't we get married?"  
Ash turned away for a brief second. "It's...just...I'm too young, Misty...and I don't know if I can ask my mom to give her consent...it's a bigger thing than just dating..."  
"Ash, this is your mom we're talking about here," Misty said, watching Ash climb out of bed and begin to sift through his dresser. "She's happy for us! She'd be happy to know that we've been thinking about getting married since last year."  
Ash sighed. "Yeah...I guess you're right...but I'm just too scared to ask." He began to walk out of the room. "I'm gonna go take a shower."  
Misty watched him go and once again thought about how fast their relationship was moving. They'd began to talk about getting married after dating for barely six months. Sure, the fact that they'd known each other for five years beforehand helped out, but Misty couldn't help but think that they were moving too fast. After all, Ash was only seventeen. Most seventeen years olds still thought that marriage was far away...she sighed to herself. "Maybe I really should stop forcing these things on him...he's still too young...I'll end up scaring him off..." She got out of the bed and pulled on a white summer dress and headed downstairs for breakfast.  
The absence of Brock startled her for a moment until she remembered that he was off visiting his family. They had encouraged him to do so because of a brewing conflict between him and another friend, Tracey. Both needed room to cool down after Brock had driven Tracey off the deep end. Tracey had 'flipped out', so to speak. He'd beaten Brock up pretty badly. None of them looked at Tracey in the same light anymore. Sure, he was a fun guy to be around, and most of the time was the picture of pure optimism, but push the wrong buttons and he became someone that none of them knew.   
Delia, Ash's mother, turned from the stove as Misty sat down at the kitchen table. "Misty, what's wrong, dear?" she asked.   
Misty looked up at her. "I don't know, Mrs. Ketchum, I just..."  
"It's okay, Misty, you can talk to me," Delia said, sitting down beside her.  
"I think I'm pushing this relationship along a little too fast for Ash..."  
"Why? Has he told you that?"  
Misty shook her head. "He never complains about anything that I do...he's so concerned with keeping me happy, but he never lets me know when I need to back off...when he needs comfort..."  
"Ash loves you a lot, Misty, I know it. Why, I'm surprised that he hasn't asked you to marry him yet."  
Misty sighed. "He's worried that you won't give us your consent, since he's too young..."  
Delia raised her eyebrows. "I would have thought that Ash would know me by now," she said. "I would be more than happy to give my consent for you two to get married, but only if he comes to me and tells me that he wants to."  
Misty smiled. "Thanks," she said.   
  
***  
  
Ash wandered into the research area of Professor Oak's lab, intent on finding Tracey. He finally spotted him near the Water Pokémon pond. "Hey, Trace, what's up?!" he called, jogging up.  
Tracey, more than a little startled, lost his balance and nearly tumbled into the pool, saved only by a set of quick reflexes. "Ash, don't do that!" he almost squeaked.  
Ash laughed. "Sorry, man," he said.  
"What are you doing here?" Tracey asked.   
Ash shrugged. "I just came over to see how you were doing," he said.  
"I told you, I'm fine, okay?" Tracey said in a harsh tone, one that was extremely rare from him. "I just lost it back then. Besides, that was a week ago."  
Ash held up his hands. "I'm sorry, Trace, but we were just worried. We never found out what happened between you and Brock."  
"Nothing that he didn't deserve," Tracey muttered.  
Ash raised his eyebrows. Tracey had been really grumpy ever since the incident with Brock, but Ash could see why. Tracey was just upset that Brock was trying to convince Ash and Misty into forgetting about him. "Hey, calm down, Trace," he said.  
"Why? All you're gonna say is that I lost it, went psycho, nuts, whatever." He began to walk back towards the lab.  
"Okay, Tracey, you're starting to scare me," Ash said.  
Tracey sighed heavily. "Yeah, I'm starting to scare myself, too," he said. "I don't know what it is...Brock just brings out the worst in me..."  
"I understand," Ash said. "Gary does the same to me. I hate it. But all you can do is try to ignore it, otherwise you become the worst version of yourself. Believe me, if it wasn't for my relationship with Misty, I would be a horrible person right now..."  
Tracey nodded. "Speaking of which, how are things going with Misty?" he asked.  
Ash shrugged. "About the same, I guess, but she's really beginning to talk about getting married."  
"Ash, that's great!" Tracey said.  
"But...I just can't find it in me to ask my mom to consent to the marriage..."  
"Ash, your mom loves Misty like a daughter. I think she would love to actually be able to call Misty her daughter, in some respect."  
Ash was quiet for a moment, but then spoke up. "You're right, Tracey," he said. "Thank you." He began to walk away, but then thought of something else. "Hey, Trace?"  
"What?"   
Ash took a deep breath. "If things do work out...and Misty and I do get married...would you be my best man?"  
Tracey stared at him in disbelief. "You want me to be your best man?" he repeated.  
"Why so surprised?" Ash asked him.  
Tracey shrugged. "I don't know...I guess I always thought you'd pick Brock for that..."  
"Well, I'm full of surprises," Ash replied. "Besides, I think it's time we all start paying more attention to you, Trace."  
Tracey let a smile creep across his face. "Thanks, Ash," he said. "That means more to me than you know."  
  
***  
  
Delia looked up from her book as Ash stepped in. "Hi, honey," she said. "What's going on?"  
Ash felt his stomach turning. "Mom...I need to ask you something," he said.  
"What is it, honey?" Delia asked.   
"You know that me and Misty...we've been getting serious, right?"  
Delia smiled. "Of course," she said. "You two look so cute together!"  
Ash smiled a bit. "Well, we've been...talking...and I...we...decided that...we want to get married this year."  
Although she knew that Ash and Misty had been planning it, Delia was a little stunned that Ash had actually come out and said it. "Ash, honey, that's wonderful!" she cried.  
"But...I need..."  
Delia nodded. "You need my consent because you're under age," she finished.  
Ash nodded.   
"Ash, I would be a fool not to let you marry her," she said. "Of course I'll give you my consent. You deserve to be happy, and I know that nothing would make you happier than to marry her."  
Realizing what his mother was saying, Ash threw his arms around her. "Thanks, mom," he said. "Thank you so much!"  
"It's my pleasure, Ash," Delia said. She thought of something and reached over to open the drawer on her endtable. She pulled out a small velvet box. Opening it revealed a beautiful diamond ring. "This was the ring that your father gave me," she said. "Hopefully, it'll mean more to you than it did to him."  
Ash's face broke into a huge, boyish grin as he took it from her.  
"I want to see that ring on her hand tomorrow," Delia said. "As your mother, I'm ordering you to ask her tonight!"  
Ash laughed. "No problem there," he said. "I've been waiting to ask her this for ages now!"  
Misty was also reading when Ash walked into the room. She looked up and decided that it was best to get everything in the open. "Ash...I...I just wanna say that...I'm sorry if I'm going too fast for you...and maybe...it's...best if we slow down for a little bit...to make sure that we're both comfortable with this...and..."  
Ash sat down beside her and silenced her with a kiss to the lips. "You are such a terrible liar," he said to her, quietly. "And you talk too much."  
Misty looked at him, a confused expression on her face. "Huh?" she said.  
"I don't think we're going too fast at all...I've never been happier in my entire life than I am right now, with you...and I don't think that I could wait another year..so...I'm asking you to marry me now."  
Misty's heart was threatening to stop. "You are?" she said.  
Ash nodded, handing the small box to her. "My mom gave this to me to give to you," he said. "She said it was hers...and now it's yours, if you want." He tried not to laugh at Misty's bewildered expression.  
Misty looked at the ring, then at Ash. Finally, she threw her arms around him. "Ash, thank you!" she cried. "I do want it!"  
Ash felt a huge weight lift off of his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers. "I love you so much, Mist," he said. "And I would never be able to live with myself if I ever lost you."  
"Me neither," Misty said, burying her face against his chest. "I pray every night that we'll be together forever. You're my whole world, Ash, and you'll be for a long time to come."  
  
***  
  
Both were surprised to see Tracey sitting at the kitchen table when they came downstairs for breakfast. "Trace...what are you doing here?" Misty asked.  
Tracey shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Is it suddenly a crime to visit your mom?"   
At the word 'mom', Delia came running into the kitchen from the living room. "So?!" she squeaked. "How did it go?"  
Ash held up Misty's left hand. "See for yourself," he said.   
Delia let out a bit of a squeal and threw her arms around the two of them. "Oh, I'm so happy for you two!" she cried. "This is just wonderful!"   
"Um, Mrs. Ketchum, I don't think strangling them will help," Tracey said, in slightly better spirits that day. "You want them to survive 'til their wedding."  
"Oh, that's just hilarious, Tracey," Delia joked.   
Tracey shrugged. "I'm thinking about getting a night job as a comedian," he joked back.  
"Don't quit your day job," Misty muttered.  
Tracey laughed. "Yeah, well, at least now I can safely say I told you so."  
"What?"   
"Oh, come on! I've known that this day was coming back when you guys were eleven and thirteen years old! It's nice to know that I was right! I've been telling you that you liked each other for six years!"  
"Yeah, yeah," Ash muttered.  
Misty turned to him. "Ash, don't you think we should call Brock? He might want to know that we're engaged now."  
Ash nodded and the two of them sat down in front of the videophone to call him.  
Brock looked a little harried when he answered, but relaxed a little when he saw their faces. "Hey, guys, what's up?" he said.  
"How's it going down there, Brock?" Misty asked.  
"It's nuts," he replied. "My dad went off to Celadon for a couple of weeks and I told him I'd hold down the fort. I just forgot that he has two forts to hold down...luckily, the Gym kinda takes care of itself...it's the house that doesn't." He covered the mouthpiece and yelled at someone off screen. "Sorry," he said. "Sibling rivalry can be a darn evil thing. So...why'd you guys call? Just to chat?"  
Ash shook his head. "We just wanted to tell you that...Misty and I got engaged last night. We're getting married!"  
There was nothing but silence, until Brock turned back to the screen. "One of my sisters just hurt herself, guys," he said. "I gotta go."  
Ash looked at Misty as soon as the screen went blank. He had the feeling that there was something more, but...  
  
***  
  
"So, you two," Delia said. "Now that you've got your marriage license, it's on to planning the wedding. I'll take you shopping for a dress if you want, Misty."  
"I'd love that," Misty said.  
"And I'll ask Tracey to help me out with picking out a tux," Ash said with almost no emotion in his voice. He hated to wear anything formal.  
Misty giggled a bit.   
"Ash, I have to ask you something," Delia said. "You've been hanging out with Tracey a lot more lately...why?"  
"Because I don't think that I've been the best version of a friend to him over the last little bit...plus, I get the sense that Brock doesn't want Misty and I to get married, but Tracey's really happy for us."  
"What makes you think that Brock doesn't want you to get married?" Delia asked.  
Ash shrugged. "I've just been getting this really creepy feeling around him lately...ever since he and Tracey went at it..."  
"You know that Brock would never do anything to you," Delia said.  
Ash sighed. "I know...but I still can't shake it...he's really creeping me out."  
  
***  
  
Delia clapped her hands together. "Misty, that dress is perfect!" she cried. "You look so beautiful!"  
Misty gazed at herself in the mirror. "You really think so?" she asked.  
"Don't you?"   
Misty looked down at the long, white dress that shimmered around her ankles. "I think that I'm just about as much in love with this dress as I am with Ash," she said. "And my dress hunt has just ended!"  
"Ash'll love that dress, Misty," Delia said.  
Misty half-twirled, watching herself in the mirror. "I just can't believe that I'm going to get married in this dress...I can't believe that I'm going to get married at all!"  
Delia smiled. "I know how you feel...I just pray that your marriage lasts longer than mine did..."  
"What happened with you and Ash's father, anyway?"  
Delia sighed. "We were young...too young, I suppose. We just kind of rushed into it. Things went too fast for him."  
"I'm sorry," Misty said.  
"It doesn't bother me anymore," Delia said. "What bothers me is that he hasn't even tried to see Ash since he was two months old. It's been so hard...I had to make up these stories about his father being out on a Pokémon journey...I had to write these fake letters and tell Ash that they were from his father...he never gave my son a chance."  
"I know that Ash will never do that," Misty said. "We've talked about it. We're gonna try to wait at least two years before we start trying to have a baby. It's best that way, 'cause Ash will be more mature and we'll be ready for anything."  
Delia smiled. "I know. I raised Ash to be the exact opposite of his father. He's been my whole world for so long...but it's nice that he finally came out and told you the way he felt for you...I know it killed him every time you two got into a fight. He was so happy when he found out that you felt the same for him..."  
Misty smiled at the memory. "Yeah, he was. I swear, when I said that I loved him, his face lit up like a five-year-old's at Christmas." Her eyes began to tear up. "We just spent that night...just talking together...and we realized that...it wasn't just a crush...we realized that we were so much in love that...it was mind-boggling."  
"Oh, Misty," Delia said. "I know that you and Ash are going to be so happy together...there's nothing but love in your eyes when you talk about him...and nothing but love in his when he talks about you. I know that you're going to be together for such a long time."  
"Thanks," Misty said. "I guess I better start getting used to the idea of calling you 'mom'."  
Delia laughed. "There's nothing more I want than for you to call me 'mom'," she said. "Now, let's get this dress before someone else starts eyeing it."  
  
***  
  
It was getting dark as Ash and Tracey walked home. "So," Tracey said. "How long do you think it's going to take to get all this organized?"   
Ash shrugged. "At the rate we're going...maybe a couple of months."  
"Are you nervous?"   
Ash gave him an are-you-out-of-your-right-mind look. "Tracey, that is one of the stupidest things you have ever asked me," he said. "Of course I'm nervous! Geez, this is my wedding we're talking about!"  
Tracey held up his hands. "Okay, okay," he said. "It was a bit of a dumb question. But what are you so nervous about, anyway?"  
Ash sighed. "I don't know...I'm just scared that she'll change her mind...or I'll change mine...or my mom'll change hers..."  
"Nah," Tracey said. "Everyone's really happy for you. There ain't a person in this town that doesn't want you and Misty to tie the knot."  
Ash grinned. Just as they were getting into lighter spirits and started discussing what they would do for Ash's bachelor party, the sky opened up with a downpour of rain. Tracey muttered a few rating-inappropriate words and began to run.  
Ash was about to follow when he heard a sound around the corner that didn't sound good. He peered through the darkened rainstorm to see dim headlights poking through the gloom. "Tracey, look out!" he cried, running after him.  
Tracey spun around. He heard the rev of an engine and felt Ash push him towards the other curb. He felt cold metal strike his wrist and the sound of his bones snapping. He cried out in pain, but his voice was lost in Ash's bloodcurdling scream. He spun around just in time to catch a glimpse of the man in the driver's seat - just a second or two, but enough to see who it was and the deranged expression in his eyes. He waited until the car was gone and looked around for Ash. He froze in absolute horror. Ash was lying facedown in the middle of the street, crying out in pain. Tire marks ran across his side and legs. How he was still awake, Tracey had no idea. He ran up to the teenager. "Ash, I'm gonna get help!" he cried, knowing that his own wrist was broken and he couldn't do much to help Ash out. He ran to a payphone, trying to fight off the pain in his wrist, and dialed 911, praying that the ambulance could get there fast enough...  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
  
A/N: The next part is where it gets sad and weird. I'm sick of being normal. I'm ready to go nuts. I even dyed my hair pink today (it's not permanent, though.) And it's too dang bad if you don't like the idea that Tracey's in this thing more than Brock. I got a few things planned for Brock.   
  
  
  



	2. Tears and Revelations

The Heart Must Survive  
Part 2: Love And Tears  
  
Disclaimer: Yeah, I'm still buying my DVD player and Pokémon DVDs, so no sue me. Get it? Got it? Good.  
  
Summary: After Ash is involved in a terrible accident, Misty must face the possibility that she may have to live without her soul mate...meanwhile, suspicions are rising that the accident may not have been an accident, and trust begins to wear thin...  
  
A/N: I don't know what to say at this point other than get out a box of kleenex, and no flamers! Flames will be used to roast marshmallows as I finish this fic.  
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"I'm getting really worried about Ash and Tracey," Misty said, staring out a window into the black rainstorm.  
"They probably just stopped at the Pokémon Center to wait out the storm," Delia said, lighting the candles that were providing the room's lights now that the power had gone out. "Ash isn't a dummy. He's not going to run around in a storm, and he's not going to let Tracey run around in a storm, either."  
"Yeah...I guess so," Misty said. She headed upstairs, trying to shake off the creepy feeling she had. She opened the closet door and ran her hand down the plastic that encased her wedding dress. She smiled as she thought of what Ash would think of it as she walked down the aisle...provided he wasn't a little sneak and didn't look at the dress before the wedding. "Nothing could go wrong now," she said to herself.   
She heard the videophone ring and lazily wandered back downstairs just in time to catch Delia gasp and drop the receiver. She obviously wasn't expecting the news, but the lack of power had meant no screen.   
"What is it?" Misty asked her.  
Delia turned to look at her with eyes full of terror. "Misty...that was...the hospital...Ash was run down by a car..."  
Misty felt her heart sink faster than the Titanic. "What?" she said. "You're...joking, right?"  
Delia shook her head. "Come on, dear, we have to go."  
  
***  
  
Tracey was in the waiting room, nursing an obviously painful broken wrist, when Misty and Delia ran in. "Ash is in the E.R..." he said slowly. "He's been there ever since we got here...he tried to save me...the car was going to hit me...but he pushed me out of the way..." The events were clearly taking a toll on him.  
Delia sat down beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked, although it was clear that she was more worried about her son.  
Tracey nodded. "I just broke my wrist, that's all," he said, guilt in his voice. He felt bad about getting off with only a broken wrist while Ash was fighting for his life. "Ash was the one that was hurt bad...I didn't even know what was going on until I saw him lying in the road...it's my fault this happened to him!"  
"It couldn't be your fault, Tracey," Delia said. "You weren't the one driving that car, were you?"  
Misty sat on Tracey's other side, not quite knowing what to say or to do.  
"Misty...I'm sorry...I should have tried to take the hit...I never should have let Ash take it for me...I..."  
Misty looked at him. "It's okay, Trace," she said. "I'm not mad at you or anything. It's not your fault."  
The room fell silent. No one could think of anything to say.   
Finally, after about an hour of contemplative silence, a doctor stepped into the room. "Delia Ketchum?" he said.  
Delia looked up. "Yes?" she replied.  
"I'm...afraid that your son was injured very badly in this accident. We've done all we can, but it's very unlikely that he'll pull through. There were just too many things that were damaged...his body's shutting down as we speak."  
Delia's eyes were automatically filling with tears. "Is he...is he awake?"  
"Just barely," the doctor said. "He's in a lot of pain, and we had to sedate him."  
"How...how long...does he...does he have?" Misty choked out. She took Tracey's hand for no other reason than he was the closest one to her. She needed to know that someone was there, since she could tell that she wasn't going to be able to handle the reply.  
"He may last until the end of the week, but we're not too hopeful...looking at it realisticly, I would say about two or three days."  
"What all happened to him?" Delia asked.  
"Well...we were told that he went under the tires of the car..."  
Misty drew in a sharp breath and shut her eyes.  
"And his injuries testify to that. His ribcage was very badly damaged, both of his legs were broken severely, he's likely suffering from a concussion...he was in a deep state of shock when he got here. Several vital organs were damaged as well, and that's what we think will evenutally kill him."  
By this time, Misty had reduced to nothing but a sobbing heap. Tracey pulled her close, just to reassure her that someone was there for her, but he was in tears as well. Delia had her head in her hands, crying desperately.  
"Maybe you should all go and see him...his condition might improve if he's around people he knows. We've seen that happen before."  
  
***  
  
The room was dark, the curtains closed and the lights off. It was obvious that the hospital staff weren't too hopeful for Ash's recovery. Ash was alone in the room and he was hooked up to a heart monitor and a respirator. His eyes were closed, scrunched up to testify to the pain he was in. His skin was paler than the pillows he rested on. He was shivering despite the blankets over top of him.  
Misty sat down beside her fallen fiancé. "He looks so weak..." she said. "And in pain..." She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. "He's so cold..." She felt tears spilling onto her cheeks.   
Delia could only stare. Her worst nightmare was coming true. She was losing her precious little boy.   
Misty leaned over Ash's lifeless body. "Ash, can you hear me? Please, give us a sign that you're in there!"  
As if Misty was all he needed to wake up, Ash's eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before it became obvious that his vision was affected, too. "Misty?" he said in a strangled voice. "Is that you?"  
Misty wanted to smile, but she saw so much pain in his eyes that she started to cry instead. "Yeah, I'm here," she said.   
"Mist...my head hurts...and...so does...everything else..." Even speaking was hard for him.   
"I know, Ash," Misty said. "But I'm here for you now."  
Ash closed his eyes, only to open them again. "What happened to Tracey?" he said, panicked. "Is he okay?"  
Tracey stepped into Ash's frame of view. "I'm okay, Ash," he said. "I just broke my wrist, that's all."  
Ash shut his eyes tight, obviously upset that he couldn't save Tracey completely.  
"Ash, you saved my life, man!" Tracey said. "I could be dead right now if it wasn't for you!"  
Ash shivered violently, despite the mountains of blankets on top of him. "What did the doctor say about me?"  
Everyone was silent. How did one tell their best friend (son, in Delia's case) that he was dying?  
Ash picked up on it. "I'm dying, aren't I?" he said, his voice shaking.   
"The doctors are only giving you until the end of the week, at most," Tracey said, trying not to burst into tears again. He failed.  
Ash dropped his head back against the pillows, the news hitting him like a slap in the face. Then he turned to look at Misty. "Mist...I'm so sorry...I..." He reached for her hand.   
Misty took it and held it tightly. "Ash...I don't want to lose you!" she cried.  
"I don't want to lose you, either," Ash said. "But I guess fate had something else in mind for us."  
"Who cares about fate?!" Misty cried. "I can't imagine life without you...you're my fiancé...and you've been my best friend since I was twelve years old!"   
Ash saw the tears in his fiancée's eyes and reached up to touch her cheek. "I'm sorry, Misty," he said. "I should have been more careful...it's my fault..."  
"No, it's not," Tracey said suddenly. "It's our fault for not listening to you."  
"What do you mean, Trace?" Misty said.  
Tracey's eyes were welling up. "There was a split second where I saw who was in that car...I didn't think about it before, but now that I give myself time to think...I know who it was."  
"Who?" Ash said, anxious to find out who it was that had tried to run him and Tracey down.  
Tracey's hands were beginning to shake. "It was Brock," he said.  
No one knew what to say. Could they believe that, especially after what had happened between Brock and Tracey?  
Tracey saw their looks and raised his hands. "I'm telling you, I wouldn't lie about it!"  
"It's true," Ash said. "It was Brock...I saw him, too...but...I was...preoccupied trying not to die..."  
Delia was the only one that seemed to be having trouble accepting it.  
"It is logical," Misty said. "Do you remember? Tracey said that the car was heading for him, not Ash...and Ash just got hit because he pushed Tracey out of the way...and Brock did threaten to do something like this...right before we broke up that fight..."  
Ash just couldn't believe it. One of their best friends had tried to kill him...  
"What the hell is going on here?!" Misty suddenly cried. "Just when I think that everything is going our way and then Brock goes loco and tries to run my best friend and my fiancé down?!"   
"Calm down, Misty," Ash whispered. "Please. Calm down."  
Delia put her hands on Misty's shoulders. "Maybe we should leave," she said. "We all need some time to think this over..." She leaned over and kissed her son on the cheek. "We'll be back bright and early tomorrow, okay, Ash?"  
Ash nodded slowly, silently wondering if he really was going to survive that long.  
Misty was ten times more reluctant to leave, knowing that there was a good chance that Ash wouldn't last the night. "I love you, Ash," she said, leaning over to kiss him. "I'll be praying for you tonight."  
Ash smiled at her. "And I'll be thinking of you," he said, knowing that the thought of Misty always helped him through his pain.  
Delia and Misty left the room, but Tracey lingered for a minute. "Ash...I just...want to thank you...for what you did...you saved my life."  
Ash smiled. "No problem," he said.   
"I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for that."  
"If you really want to repay me..." Ash paused for a minute. "You can look after Misty after I...after I'm gone."  
Tracey frowned. "What do you mean?"  
"Just...watch over her. Make sure that...she doesn't do anything...crazy...after I'm gone."  
Tracey nodded. "You have my word, Ash," he said. With that, he began to leave the room. He paused for a minute to look back at Ash, who was falling into a deep sleep. "Please wake up tomorrow," he whispered. "Or Misty's heart is going to shatter..."  
  
***  
  
Misty stared vacantly at the TV, wanting to keep her mind off of the idea that her fiancé could be dying, but not really being able to. Her worst fear was getting that call that said that he was gone. But the prominent thought in her mind was Brock. Could he really have been the one to try and run Ash and Tracey down? She could reason that Brock would want to run Tracey down, but...  
"Hey, Tracey?" she called out.  
"Yeah?" Tracey called back from the kitchen.   
Misty got up and walked to the kitchen. "I..don't want to..upset you by making you think about this over and over again...but...when Ash pushed you out of the way...did the car slow down at all? Did you see or hear the brakes?"  
Tracey shook his head. "If I heard anything, it was the engine revving up," he said.  
Misty stared at her feet. "Why would Brock do this?" she said.  
Tracey was quiet. He felt bad enough about being forced to place blame.  
Misty shook her head. "I thought he would be happy about Ash and me getting married..."  
"Maybe he was jealous," Tracey said in a barely audible voice.   
"What?" Misty said.  
Tracey looked at her. "Maybe he was jealous...that...Ash finally found someone...maybe he had a thing for you or something..."  
Misty wasn't upset enough to make a face at the thought of that. "Maybe..." she said.  
"I don't want to say it...because...I'm just not this kind of person...but..." Tracey sat down at the table. Things were really taking a toll on him, Misty could tell as he buried his head in his hands.  
"Hey, it's okay," she said.  
Tracey sighed heavily. "I still can't believe that I saw him in that car...that he would want to run Ash down...I can understand why he wanted to run me down, but...not Ash."  
Misty couldn't, either. There was just no way that it could be true...  
  
***  
  
Misty once again sat at Ash's side. But this time, they were alone. Delia and Tracey had both thought that it would be best to give them time to themselves.   
The room was silent for the longest time until Misty spoke up. "I never thought I'd have to say goodbye," she said. "I always pictured us..getting married, having children...you becoming a Pokémon Master...raising a family...and now it's all over..."  
Ash had basically accepted the fact that he was dying, but still hadn't accepted the idea of Misty being alone in the world. "You'll still get to do those things, Misty," he said softly.   
Misty shook her head. "I don't want to," she said. "Not if I'm not with you." She carefully rested her head against his chest.   
Ash stroked her hair. "It's all going to work out," he said.  
"How can you be so calm about this?" she said. "How can you be so calm, knowing that you're dying?"  
Ash sighed. "There's no way to stop it," he said. "So there's no reason to fight it."  
Misty closed her eyes. "I don't want to be alone, Ash," she said.  
"You won't be alone," Ash said. "You'll still have my mom there for you...and Tracey..."  
"But I won't have you, and that's all I want!"  
  
***   
Delia jumped to her feet as Misty stepped in. "Misty, hold on a sec," she said.  
"What?" Misty asked.  
Tracey was sitting at the table, staring into the abyss. "I didn't want to be right..." he whispered.  
"What's going on?" Misty asked.  
Delia took in a deep breath. "We just got a call from the Pewter City Officer Jenny...Ash and Tracey were right....it was Brock that tried to run them down. Apparently, someone saw the accident and called in...the police found his car, and he confessed to everything..."  
Misty could only stare.   
Delia stepped over to her. "Misty, I know it's a shock...it's a shock to all of us..."  
Misty collapsed into Delia's arms and started to cry again. It seemed like all she did lately was cry. "How could he do this?!" she cried. "What did we do wrong to make him do this?!"  
"He said that...he was angry about the fight that he and Tracey got into..."   
Misty decided that it was time someone found out the details. "Tracey...what happened back then?" she asked. "What did he say that got you so mad?"  
Tracey didn't seem to hear her for a second, then he looked up. "Brock said that he wanted you and Ash to break up...he said that Ash didn't deserve you and that you needed to find someone that could make you happy...it didn't take long to figure out who he was talking about."  
Misty couldn't take any more. She ran up to her room and slammed the door, bursting into hysterical tears. Everything was happening so fast...and none of it seemed to be going her way.   
She stood up and walked to the closet, opening the door slowly. Her eyes fell upon the dress once again. She ran her hand down the plastic, but the touch was deriven from sadness instead of joy. "Oh, Ash," she said. "You just have to pull through...I know the odds are bad, but...we've had bad odds before and pulled through...you just have to survive...my life depends on it...I could never go on without you..."  
A knock sounded on the door. Misty turned around to see Delia in the doorway. "Misty, I know this is hard for you," she said. "And it's hard for me, too."  
Misty looked at her feet. "It should be harder for you than for me," she said. "Ash is your son. He's been your son all his life...he's only been my fiancé for a month or so..."  
"But he was your best friend growing up, Misty. You spent your entire teenage years with him. You watched him mature and you were the first that he ever fell in love with...you may not have known him as long as I have, and he may be my son, not yours, but I think the time you had together...it's so precious...and you have just as much right to be upset as I do."  
"It must scare you," Misty said. "To think that you're losing your son..."  
Delia nodded. "I've never been this afraid in my life...but most of it is fear that my son's in pain right now...that he's suffering. You'll understand when you become a mother."  
Misty turned away. "If I ever become a mother, you mean," she said. "I just can't imagine..."  
Delia forced a weak smile and pulled Misty into her arms. "I'm always here for you, Misty," she said. "Even if it's not down on paper, I'll always think of you as my daughter."  
  
***  
  
Misty opened her eyes. She could hear sounds outside of her door. She wearily sat up in bed, a little annoyed at being awoken from the only sleep that she had been able to get since the incident.   
The door suddenly swung open. Tracey stood there, a worried expression in his eyes. "Misty, you gotta get dressed," he said.  
"What's goin' on?" Misty said.  
Tracey paused for a second until he heard Delia call him. "It's Ash...the hospital just called...he's dying, Misty...he's only got a little bit of time left, and Delia wants to be there with him when it happens...I thought that you might, too."  
Misty jumped out of bed as Tracey ran downstairs. She pulled on a pair of jeans and one of Ash's T-shirts and followed, trying not to let hysterics swallow her.  
When they got there, the doctor looked like the planet had fallen on his head. "We tried everything we could to convince him to let us put him on life support...but he said that he would rather die on his own...and we have to abide by his wishes."  
Misty didn't want to listen to any more, so she ran in past the doctor. She wanted to be with Ash, not with his doctor.   
Ash had been disconnected from the heart monitor and the respirator. He was lying on the bed, his skin whiter than the pillows he rested on. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling. He was too weak to do anything else.  
Misty sat down beside him and took his hand in hers. She forced an incredibly weak smile as his eyes turned to her. "This is my worst nightmare," she said. "But...I guess it was in the stars...I...just want to say that...I love you, more than anything else in my life...and I want you to take care of yourself, wherever you're going...I'll never forget you...I swear on my life that I won't...you were my first love and you'll always be my first love...and I am going to miss you...so much..."  
Ash blinked a few times to let her know that he understood and slowly mouthed the words 'I love you, Misty,' before she stood up to let someone else say what they needed to.  
Tracey was obviously shaken and he looked like he was ready to just collapse at any moment. "Ash...you've been such a good friend...and you've taught me so much...you taught me to always go for what I want...not to let others interfere with who I am...and I gotta thank you for that time you went through so much just to prove to Brock that my name wasn't just a girl's name..." He smiled just a bit at that. "And I don't think I would be here today if it wasn't for you...you'll always be my best friend...and I'll miss you. I'll always remember you, though." He stood up and took over the task of comforting Misty as Delia sat down to say what she needed to.  
Delia took Ash's hand in hers and just watched him for a minute before she spoke. "Ash...my little boy...what is there to say? I'm just so proud of you. You never gave up, no matter what you were faced with...and you always put others before yourself...I've always thought that you were put on this earth to heal the pain of others...and if you could even begin to imagine how you changed my life for the better...and you brought out the best in Misty, and in Tracey...we're all proud of you, Ash, and we'll all miss you."  
Everyone - except Ash - looked up as two more people ran into the room - Professor Oak and his grandson, Gary. "We're not..." the professor said.  
Delia shook her head, fighting back hysterics.   
If there was ever a time when any of them was worried about the professor, it was at that moment. He looked like the solar system had blown up in his face. He seemed to not believe what was going on as he sat beside Ash. "Ash, I don't know what to say...I'm very proud of you. You were one of my best trainers...and you'll always be. You were the best friend that anyone could have asked for. I promise you that I won't let anyone in this town, or anywere else, forget about you. I'll keep bragging about you until I can't anymore. Please...don't forget about us, and none of us will ever forget about you..."   
"Ash, I just want to say that I was a jerk," Gary said, tears forming in his eyes. "I was scared...you were always the better trainer, and I wanted to be...so I thought I could make it different by trying to break you down...but I never should have...because that just made me a horrible person...I'm sorry, Ash, I'm so sorry...you helped me with a lot of things, even if I refused to admit it..."  
Misty sat back down beside her fiancé and took his hand. She lowered her eyes, praying, just like everyone else in the room. She could see that his strength was nearing nil and he was losing the battle for his life.  
Ash looked around at the people in the room one last time. He rested back on his pillows and drew in one last breath. Then, his eyelids slowly closed.  
They were never to open again.  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
A/N: Okay, yeah, now I feel like a piece of crap...I'm REALLY, REALLY SORRY for killing Ash, but, hey, every story can't have a happy ending! And no, this ain't the end. I want to make Brock pay for what he did! And I have a lot more brewing here. So, stay tuned, if I haven't made scared you off yet.  
  



	3. Grief And Goodbyes

The Heart Must Survive   
Part 3 - Grief And Goodbyes  
  
Disclaimer: I'm only borrowing these characters. (Don't worry, 4Kids, I'll have 'em back by curfew so you can keep messing 'em up) And my money's going to a new DVD player and Pokémon DVDs, so there's no point suing me.  
  
Summary: After Ash's death, Pallet Town must pull together to get over the loss of one of their most beloved trainers. But the pain is so much greater in the Ketchum household...  
  
A/N: Kleenex alert, kleenex alert! Get out that box right now!   
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The mood in Pallet Town was a somber one that day. The small village was still in shock over the death of one of their own Pokémon trainers. Ash Ketchum had passed away no more than a week before, after being involved in a devastating hit-and-run, which turned out to be a plot to kill one of his friends rather than him. The whole town was shaken by the bizarre turn that the accident had taken. There was hardly ever any crime in Pallet, and when there was one, especially one that took the life of a resident, shock and sadness were always the predominant emotions. But this time, anger threatened to take over as details of the hit-and-run began to filter out into the public.   
The story was, so far, that the four friends - Ash Ketchum, Misty Williams, Tracey Sketchit, and Brock Harrison - had been drifting apart due to a conflict between Tracey and Brock. Ash and Misty, involved in their two-year relationship, really didn't want to have to take sides, so both suggested that Tracey and Brock take time out from each other. They did so, but one night, Brock had gone out, planning to run down Tracey in a fit of anger. Ash had been with Tracey at the time and had saved him by pushing him out to the curb, but the car had run him down instead. Someone - no one knew who, she preferred to remain anonymous - had seen the whole thing and had called it in at the same time as Tracey was calling an ambulance for his fallen friend. The Pewter City Officer Jenny had found the car and confirmed that it belonged to Brock. A massive investigation had followed, the impact of which was just drifting into Pallet, and Brock had been immediately charged with murder and attempted murder. Now all that was left was to stand trial and see if anyone could think of a reason not to lock him away for the crime.  
  
***  
  
Misty tossed and turned in her sleep, finally bolting awake in bed when the demons in her sleep became too much for her to take. She looked at the bedside clock, which was flashing 12:00. She was startled by a flash of lightning and the subsequent clap of thunder. Rain pounded against the window. "Power must have gone out," she said to herself. She looked to her side before painfully reminding herself that her fiancé was no longer there. He would never be there, ever again. Tears sprung to her eyes, like they had done so many times already. She climbed out of bed, pulled on a housecoat, and headed to the bathroom.  
"How am I going to go on?" she said to her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "How can anyone expect me to?" She made a face at her reflection. The reflection refused to show her the happy, proud young woman that she had once been. Instead, it showed her a grieving, devastated woman, one whose life had been destroyed before she had even hit twenty years old. She missed Ash more than she ever knew that she would. He had been her life since the day she met him. Of course, she never admitted it until she was seventeen. Then, almost immediately, their relationship had taken off. Two years had blazed by, and before they knew it, Ash had asked her to marry him. She had accepted, and the two had just been planning their wedding when it had happened. Misty was torn with feelings of grief. The pain of losing a loved one came down on her like a ton of bricks, sometimes making it hard for her to even breathe. She couldn't even leave the house half of the time. She felt horrible enough as it was, and the occasional comments like, "oh, I know you two were close," and "it must be so hard for you right now," from passersby just made her feel worse.  
She heard a sound behind her and spun to see Delia, Ash's mother, standing in the doorway. The loss of her son had reduced Delia to nothing but a shadow of her former self. Once bubbly and enthusiastic, Delia almost never spoke anymore and was always in a depressed state of mind. She looked way beyond her years, the grieving adding at least ten years to her face. Even as she stood in the doorway now, her eyes were red and puffy from crying and she looked like she was having trouble standing up. "Misty..." she said in a small, weak voice. "I heard you get up...are you okay?"  
Misty knew what Delia meant, the only thing that kept her from saying something like, "of course I'm not!" She slowly nodded.  
Delia walked up to her. "Nightmare?" she guessed.  
Misty nodded.   
Delia stared at their reflections for a moment before she managed to choke out, "Ash's funeral is tomorrow," she said. "Or, today, rather..."  
"What time is it?" Misty asked.  
"About five in the morning," Delia replied. "We had better get to bed...we need a lot of rest."  
Misty nodded and the two women retreated back to their rooms.  
  
***  
  
Professor Oak and Tracey were already at the church when Delia and Misty pulled up. The elderly professor looked tired and years older than he actually was. Tracey was sitting on a bench, his head in his hands. Ash's death had hit him especially hard, because he had been there when Ash had been run down, not to mention the fact that he was the one that the hit was meant for.   
Professor Oak jogged over to the car to help Delia out, while Misty climbed out on her own and immediately walked over to where Tracey sat. She sat beside him. "I don't want to go in there," she said.  
"Me neither," Tracey said.  
"Are you going to make it through?"   
Tracey looked up at her. "I'll be fine," he said. "You should worry about yourself."  
Misty shook her head. "I've been doing that since Ash died...the more I worry about me, the worse I feel."  
Tracey didn't reply.  
"Hey, Misty!" a voice called out.  
Misty looked up to see her sisters, Daisy, Lily, and Violet, walking up the pathway. Under any other circumstances, she would have been annoyed, but not now. She ran to the trio and threw her arms around Daisy. She was just too glad to see relatives.  
"We heard all about it, Misty," Violet said, already fighting back tears.  
"We're so sorry," Lily said. "We couldn't call ourselves your sisters if we didn't come down and try to help you."  
"Thank you," Misty said.   
Misty followed Delia to the entrance of the church, not wanting her to have to 'greet' people on her own. Greet...yeah, right. Anyone who came to a funeral and expected to hear, 'hey, how are you? Whadaya think of the weather?' was out of their minds. A person was dead, gone forever. In Misty's mind, that was cause enough for silence. Besides, sympathy was to grief what gasoline was to a fire - it only added to it. As she watched people shake hands with Delia, she couldn't help but think that some people knew that saying 'oh, I'm so sorry,' or 'he was a good boy,' would only drive that emotional knife deeper into Delia's heart.   
Finally, people that Misty knew began to wander in. Just about every one of Kanto's Gym Leaders - Lieutenant Surge, Koga, Erika, Sabrina, Blaine - a few of the Johto Gym Leaders - Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Jasmine - and all five members of the 'Orange Crew' - Sissy, Danny, Rudy, Louanna, and Drake. Ritchie walked in, head low, his Pikachu, 'Sparky', on his shoulder. Snap was without his camera. Casey, the young trainer they had met in Johto, paused at the door before walking in hesitantly. Melody had to force herself to walk in. Professor Ivy had a hand over her eyes as she walked in. Professor Elm's eyes were fixed on the floor. Misty recognized three people that she had met on New Island with the whole Mewtwo escapade, but she was unsure of their names. Molly Hale clung to her mother's skirt and her father's hand. And the most surprising arrival - Jessie and James. The two of them held each other's hands tightly. Misty couldn't hold herself back and walked up to them. "I never expected you two to be here," she said, amazingly without crying.  
Jessie lowered her eyes. "We had to come...we felt so bad...we heard that you and Ash were...engaged. We're sorry about this."  
Misty nodded. "I know," she said.   
The funeral started just as the last people took their seats. Misty, Delia, Professor Oak, and Tracey sat in the front pew, even though Misty would have preferred to sit in the back. She could feel the eyes of hundreds of people on her back. She could practically hear their thoughts. And when she tried to ignore it, her eyes would fall on the casket. Her eyes welled up as she thought of who was enclosed in it. And in less than two hours, she wouldn't even get to see it anymore. Ash, his casket, everything would be gone, buried in a cemetary marked only by a simple stone marker for all eternity.   
She felt a hand on hers and looked over at Tracey. His eyes asked her a silent question - are you okay?  
She nodded and weaved her fingers through his. Finally, she had to stand up to deliver the eulogy that she had promised to give. She kept her eyes low, knowing that the sympathetic expressions of the people in the room would break her down to tears. She took a deep breath to steady her voice and began to speak. "I knew Ash for seven years...we met after I saved him from drowning...and we were together ever since. We shared so much in the time that we knew each other...I felt like he was a part of me, because I could go to him with any kind of problem and he would understand...I don't think I've ever been as happy as I was on the day that he proposed to me...I thought that we would be together for the rest of our lives, that I would never have to feel lonely anymore...well, I have to say that I feel so alone that it's...it's hard to wake up in the morning...all I have to comfort me is the knowledge that Ash died with me and his mother by his side...and that, even though it may not be recognized, he was a hero. He saved the life of my best friend...he gave his life so someone else may live on..." She wiped tears from her eyes, wishing that she could bring herself to look away from the casket. "People used to say that he was stupid, dense, and reckless...even though I was usually the one to say it, I know now that he was the most caring person I've ever known. He wasn't reckless, he just acted with his heart. He always did what was right...and I'll miss that more than anything. I'll miss him for the rest of my life."   
She sat back down, accepted a hug from Delia, and sat there for the rest of the ceremony, the words falling on deaf ears.   
It was no more easier at the cemetary. The group gathered there was reduced to the people that Ash had known closely. There, a small CD player played two songs, one that Delia had chosen for her son, and one that Misty had chosen for her fiancé. First played 'The River' by Garth Brooks, Delia's tribute to Ash's indomitable spirit, and then played 'When You Come Back To Me Again', a song from the last movie that she and Ash had seen together.  
After everyone except Delia, Tracey, and the professor had left, Misty approached the casket and ran her hand along the wood. "This is it," she said softly. "This is goodbye...I prayed that this would all be a bad dream...but we don't get everything we wish for...so...goodbye, Ash, and remember that I'll always love you."   
Tracey watched her with a saddened expression as Delia said her goodbye, placing a small bouquet of white roses on the casket.   
"I don't want to leave, Trace," Misty said weakly. "I don't want to say goodbye..."  
"I know," Tracey said. "But...but he wanted you to go on, you know, Misty. That's all you can do."  
  
***  
  
Two days had passed since the funeral when they got the call from Officer Jenny. She looked tired, sad, and worried all at the same time. "I know that this is a horrible time...but we have to get the trial moving, or it could be years before we get into a courtroom," she said. "I...have to ask you to come down to the station in Pewter City."  
On the ride down, Misty kept her eyes hidden behind a dark pair of sunglasses. Delia did the same. Tracey stared out of the window the whole trip. Professor Oak was driving and didn't say a word.  
"Do you think they'll let us see him?"  
The question came from Misty and startled everyone. "Why would you want to see him?" Professor Oak asked.  
Misty looked at the group. "I want him to know what he did," she said. "I want him to know that he's the one responsible for all this crap."  
"I think he knows," Tracey said. "He wanted to kill both of us...I don't think he'll have any remorse about this thing at all..."   
"No, I don't think they will, Misty," the professor said.   
Misty nodded and fell back into her silence. If the truth was to be told, she did want to see Brock before the trial. But she didn't want to see him as a friend. She wanted to yell at him, to scream at him, to take out all the anger and sadness of the past couple of weeks on him. She wanted him to suffer, and suffer badly. She wanted him to feel what she had been feeling. She wanted to see him locked in a cell for the rest of his life. She wanted to see a look of devastation on his face as the judge banged that gavel down.   
Professor Oak took a deep breath as they pulled up in front of the police station. The place was surrounded by reporters and other recruits of the press. Cameras flashed and voices yelled out. The story was obviously big in Pewter. It was their former Gym Leader who was being accused of the crime, after all.  
Professor Oak kept his arm around Delia as they fought through the crowd, and Tracey kept his arm around Misty. Things were already heating up, and the trial hadn't even begun yet.  
Officer Jenny was waiting for them. "I'm sorry about the crowd and all of that," she said. "Now...if you would...I'd like to ask you all some questions."   
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED....  
  
  
A/N: Okay, I know that chapter kinda dragged, but I had to get Ash's funeral out of the way. In the next chapter, I'll do my best at portraying a realistic trial for Brock. Emotions are gonna run high, believe me...  
  
Oh, and I promise that I WILL write a happy story after this one...all this sad stuff is just depressing...  
  
And I decided, after I read another fic, to give ya the lyrics to the two songs that I mentioned in the fic.  
  
  
THE RIVER - GARTH BROOKS  
  
You know a dream is like a river  
Ever changing as it flows  
And the dreamer's just a vessel  
That must follow where it goes  
Trying to learn from what's behind you  
And never knowing what's in store  
That makes each day a constant battle   
Just to stay between the shores  
  
CHORUS:   
And I will sail my vessel   
'Til the river runs dry  
Like a bird upon the wind  
These waters are my sky  
I'll never reach my destination  
If I never try  
So I will sail my vessel   
'Til the river runs dry  
  
Too many times we stand aside  
And let the water slip away  
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow   
Has now become today  
So don't you sit upon the shoreline  
And say you're satisfied  
Choose to chance the rapids  
And dare to dance the tides  
  
REPEAT CHORUS  
  
And there's bound to be rough waters  
And I know I'll take some falls  
But with the good Lord as my captain  
I can make it through them all  
  
REPEAT CHORUS  
  
  
WHEN YOU COME BACK TO ME AGAIN - GARTH BROOKS  
There's a ship out, on the ocean At the mercy of the sea It's been tossed about, lost and broken Wandering aimlessly And God somehow you know that ship is me 'Cause there's a lighthouse, in the harbor Shining faithfully Pouring its light out, across the water For this sinking soul to see That someone out there still believes in me On a prayer, in a song I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on Raining down, against the wind I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end When you come back to me again There's a moment we all come to In our own time and our own space Where all that we've done, we can undo If our heart's in the right place On a prayer, in a song I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on Raining down, against the wind I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end When you come back to me again And again I see my yesterday's in front of me Unfolding like a mystery You're changing all that is and used to be On a prayer, in a song I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on Raining down, against the wind I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end When you come back to me again When you come back to me again   
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Justice Is Served

The Heart Must Survive  
Part 4 - Justice Is Served  
  
  
Disclaimer: Pokémon and its characters are property of Nintendo, Game Freak, 4Kids Entertainment, Satoshi Tajiri and whoever else I forgot. You really didn't think that they were mine, did ya?   
  
Summary: Brock is standing trial for the murder of Ash and the attempted murder of Tracey. But, as we know, things are never as simple as they seem...  
  
A/N: I have no idea what to say...there may be some sad stuff, but not as heavy as the other parts. And, I have never once been in a courtroom, much less seen a real trial, so if any of this sounds like it's made up, it is.  
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Misty, Delia, Tracey, and Professor Oak sat across from Officer Jenny. All four showed signs that they were scared to death. What they said here could either put Brock away for a long time, or it could let him go.   
Jenny looked the group over. "First of all, I should tell you that we told him about Ash's death," she said. "Fortunately, he seemed to be really upset about it. He told us that he never meant for it to go this far. But, unfortunately, that isn't going to help him out."  
Misty knew that she should have been glad that Brock felt bad, but inside, she knew that he was probably only messing with the police. Brock wasn't the impulsive kind of person anymore. He planned things out. If he was the one that had done this, and they knew that he was, he knew what he was doing. He might feel a moment or two of regret for hitting the wrong person, but if what Tracey said was true, and Misty didn't doubt him at all, he wouldn't feel that bad.  
"So...I'm going to ask you some questions, so our prosecutor will have something to work with. Can I call you all by your first names?"  
Everyone nodded.  
"All right," she said. She pulled out a small tape recorder and turned it on, reciting the date and case number into it. She placed it on the table. "First of all...Tracey, since you were there, could you tell me what happened, in your own words?"  
Tracey lowered his eyes. If there was one thing that he hated, it was being forced to think about it over and over again. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and began to speak. "Ash and I were walking home at about nine o'clock at night...and it had started to rain...so I started to run...I didn't see anything on the road when I ran out onto it...and then I heard Ash call out for me to look out...and I turned just in time to see headlights coming right at me...then he pushed me out of the way...my hand hit the side of the car and I broke my wrist...but I turned around just in time to catch a couple second look at the driver..."  
"And you're positive who it was?"  
Tracey nodded.  
"Did you see Ash go under the car's tires?"  
Tracey nodded. "Not directly," he said. "I heard him scream, but I didn't see him..."  
"Did you see anyone else around?"  
Tracey shook his head. "No one," he said. "I looked around to see if there was anyone to help, but there wasn't...and my wrist was broken, so all I could do was call an ambulance."  
Jenny checked a sheet of paper. "Well, the timing does match up. The paramedics report getting the call at just about the same time as the police reported getting a call for a hit-and-run at the same location..." She looked up. "Now, Mr. Harrison told us about a fight or something between you and him before this happened...could you tell me about that?"  
Tracey silently wished that the attention would just be put on someone else. He hated this, being the center of attention, being the one person that could ensure that the case went to trial. "It wasn't anything that should have gotten this serious," he said. "We were just talking for a minute...and then he told me that he wished that Ash and Misty would break up...that Ash didn't deserve her and he thought that she should be with someone that could make her happy...I didn't get it at first, but...I told him that they were happy together and then he started to freak out on me, saying that I was trying to turn them against him...and I..." He paused, not sure whether to continue. "And he started yelling and stuff...and he tried to hit me...so...I...kind of freaked out...and we ended up in a fist-fight..."  
Jenny's eyes froze up for a second. "Are you sure that he tried to hit you first?" she said.  
Tracey nodded.  
"I have to ask because if you were the first to throw a punch, he could come back at you for assault."  
The professor cleared his throat. "I saw the fight," he said. "Tracey acted in self-defense."  
Jenny turned her attention to Professor Oak. "Could you tell me what you saw?"  
"I didn't witness their argument," the professor said. "But I walked in just as Brock tried to hit Tracey. I tried my best to break it up, but they did manage to beat each other up pretty good. Then I heard Brock say that he wanted Tracey dead...and he wouldn't be afraid to get rid of him himself."  
Jenny nodded. "That is a threat in our books."  
Misty looked over at Tracey, who had his head lowered and his eyes shut tight. She gently took his hand, half to reassure him, half to reassure herself.  
Jenny looked at Delia. "So there was never any indication that this was going to happen?"  
Delia shook her head. "I never knew that anything was wrong until Brock and Tracey got into that fight," she said. "And I didn't know that Brock was upset about Misty and my son until Ash was in the hospital."  
"Officer, can I ask something?" Misty suddenly said.  
"Sure you can," Jenny said.  
"How much of a chance does he have of getting off?"  
Jenny paused for a moment. "I'll be honest with you," she said. "It's word against word in a case like this...so it really all depends on the jury. All we can do is present the prosecuting evidence and let the defense present theirs. Then, it's up to the jury to decide who they believe. Plus, he could use the insanity plea, but he passed his psychological examination, so we've basically eliminated that probability. But all we can do is do our best."  
"How long would he be in prison if he was convicted?"  
Jenny sighed. "It really is too early to say. Like I said, it depends on the jury. They may decide that he's guilty of murder and attempted murder, they may say that he's not guilty of murder but guilty of attempted murder, not guilty of attempted murder but guilty of murder, or not guilty of both. The sentence may change if he's let off of one charge...but with what you've told me, we may also add uttering a threat to the charge...it won't do much, though."  
Misty sighed. She buried her head in her hands, trying as hard as she could not to think about Brock getting away with murder...literally. This was all getting to be too much for her.  
  
***  
  
Misty kneeled in front of Ash's grave, running her fingers along the words engraved in the stone plate. "A master in spirit, if never in title," she read. She let her tears go. "Ash, this is just too hard for me...I can't do this...and to think that I'm going to have to get up on that stand and testify against someone I thought I knew so well...I thought that I could make it through...but...it's all happening too fast...I can't even sleep at night anymore...I need you here with me...I want to hear your voice...I want you to tell me that it'll all work out, that it'll be fine...I always believed everything you told me...but...what is there left to believe in?"  
"Yourself," a voice said.   
Misty turned around to see Delia standing behind her. "I didn't hear you," she said.  
Delia kneeled down. "Ash wanted you to go on," she said. "We all want to see you go on. It's hard, but...you have to try..."  
Misty could tell by the tears in Delia's eyes that she was trying to convince herself as well of her words. "If it was just...if it was just Ash's death...I could make it...but with this trial coming up...it's too hard..." She bowed her head. "I never thought that I would ever want to die...but I do now..."  
Delia pulled her into her arms. "Misty, please, don't talk like that! I don't know what I would do if I lost you, too. Ash wouldn't want you to die, would he?"  
Misty let herself cry into Delia's shoulder. "But Ash doesn't know what it's like!" she cried. "Ash never has to feel any pain like this ever again...he left me behind...he promised that we would be together forever, and never even tried to fight death! He just let himself go!" She was surprised to realize that she felt bitter about it.   
Delia held her close. "I know, Misty," she said. "But..."  
"There ain't any buts anymore," Misty muttered. "There's nothing for me anymore...I hate it..." She wasn't sad anymore, she was angry. She was angry about everything. She just couldn't take it anymore.  
"Misty...please...it'll all be okay, eventually. Maybe you can't see it now, but it'll work out."  
Footsteps sounded behind them. Delia looked up to see Tracey approaching. "The professor's getting a little worried," he said quietly. "He told me to come find you."  
"Thank you," Delia said. She helped Misty stand up. "Come on, girl," she said. "Let's go back."  
Misty nodded, too upset and too tired to fight anymore.   
  
***  
  
Misty heard the shrill alarm, but didn't get up. She couldn't. Literally. Her lack of sleep had taken such a toll on her body that she couldn't even sit up. She reached out to shut the alarm off and watched her hand shaking. She felt a crushing weight on her chest, the pain of regret. She had totally trashed the room the night before, finally letting her anger out. She still loved Ash, and she still missed him, but she was letting herself remember that he hadn't tried to fight off his death at all. He had just let death consume him, and she was blinded with an incredible rage at it. She hated being lied to, and he had lied to her.  
Delia knocked on the door. "Misty?" she said. "Misty, we need to go. We have to be at the courthouse at nine."  
Misty let herself cry again. "I can't..." she said. "I can't...stand up..."  
Delia ran to her. "Are you sure?" she said.  
Misty closed her eyes. "I can't move..."  
Delia helped her to sit up, noticing that her body resembled a rag doll. She had no control over her muscles. "Oh, Misty...I told you that you needed to sleep..." She touched a hand to her forehead. "You're burning up. You must be getting sick."  
*Sick and mourning the loss of my soulmate,* Misty thought. *What a wonderful start to this whole trial thing.*  
A knock sounded on the door to Misty's half of the motel room. Delia answered it to see Professor Oak and Tracey. "Are you ready?" the professor asked.  
"Misty can't get out of bed," Delia replied. "She's really weak...and she's getting sick."  
The professor stepped in and kneeled down beside her bed. "Misty...can you sit up at all?"  
Misty gathered her strength and pulled herself up. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. She managed to hold herself up for a few seconds before collapsing.  
Without thinking, Tracey ran forward to catch her.  
Misty felt his arms around her and burst into tears. "What's wrong with me?!" she cried.  
"It's okay, Misty," Tracey said. "You're just tired. You'll be okay in a few minutes."  
Tracey and the professor left so Delia could help Misty get dressed.   
"Tracey, are you okay?" Professor Oak asked. "You look scared."  
Tracey looked at the professor. "It's just that...this whole thing is gonna rely on me...'cause I was there...and I know what his motives were...and I'm worried about Misty..."  
"She'll be okay," the professor said. "We'll just let her rest in the backseat. The courthouse is about an hour's drive from here, anyway."  
Tracey nodded. "But what about at the courthouse? I can feel it...she's going to lose it when she sees him again..."  
"Tracey, I always try to help you out, and all I can tell you now is worry about yourself. Like you said, most of this trial is going to rest on your shoulders. Delia and I will look after Misty. You don't have to."  
They broke off the conversation as the door opened and Misty walked out, trying her best to stay on her feet.  
Tracey really didn't care what the professor had just told him. He ran to her. "Are you okay, Misty?" he asked.  
She looked at him for a moment and saw that he was offering to help her to the car. She gratefully draped an arm around his shoulder and let him half-carry her to the backseat of the car. He climbed in after her. The professor got into the driver's seat, Delia in the front passenger seat.   
Misty didn't know why Tracey was acting this way, but she was grateful when he offered to let her rest against his shoulder.  
Meanwhile, Tracey lost himself in his thoughts. Ash had made him promise to look after her, but he had never expected it to go this far. Not to the point where he was terrified to leave her alone. Not to the point when the only time he felt safe was when she was right there beside him. Not to the point where he completely forgot about what was going on as she slept in his arms. He remembered having a little bit of a crush on her when they had first met, but never anything as serious as what was swarming in his heart right now. *No, you idiot!* he scolded himself. *You are not gonna fall for her! Can't you see how upset she is over having her heart broken once already?! You are not gonna screw things up by falling in love with her!*  
Misty had no clue why she was so comfortable in Tracey's arms. But she could sense that he wasn't that comfortable with her in his arms. She sat up slowly, since her strength was returning anyway, and looked at him. He was trying not to look at her. She knew that something was up, something big. But whatever it was, he was trying to avoid it, so she didn't press.  
  
***  
  
There were mountains of reporters outside the courthouse when they pulled up. They immediately swarmed the car. Professor Oak muttered a few rating-inappropriate words and climbed out, fighting his way to the passenger side to help Delia out.  
Misty began to panic a little bit. "Tracey...I don't want to go out there..." she said. "I don't want to..."  
"It's all right, Misty," he said. "I'll keep them away from you. Just stay close to me and you'll be okay." He opened the door, not really caring if he hit anyone with the door. They had no right to be there anyway. He turned and helped her out of the car. He heard reporters yelling questions at her. She stumbled a few times, the stress of the crowd getting to her.   
One rather gutsy reporter decided that the best way to get an answer was to try and cut them off.   
Tracey wasn't exactly in his best of moods, and this wasn't helping. "Hey!" he shouted at the man. "Can't you see that she's upset enough about this? Do you really think you vultures are helping?! Just get out of here, would you?!" He shoved past the man, making sure to keep Misty close.   
Finally, they made it into the safety of the courthouse. Misty dropped to her knees, or would have, if Tracey's arms hadn't still been around her waist. "Thanks, Tracey," she said, breathlessly.   
"No problem," Tracey replied, pulling her to her feet.   
  
***  
  
Misty stared at her feet as the trial began. The first few stages had already taken place, and they were in the full trial. Before this thing was over, Brock would either be a free man or behind bars for a long time...  
"Council," the judge, whose name plate read Judge Knowles, said. "Call your first witness."  
The lawyer, whose name was Michelle Woods, that Jenny had appointed for the prosecution stood up. "The prosecutor calls Tracey Sketchit to the stand."  
Tracey shut his eyes for a minute. He had, as they all had, managed to avoid looking at Brock, who was sitting on the other side of the courtroom, his expression unreadable, but that was about to change. He stood up and walked to the stand.   
"Raise your right hand," the court officer ordered.  
Tracey complied.  
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"  
"I do," Tracey replied, nodding.  
Woods approached the stand. "Could you state your full name?"  
"Tracey Taylor Sketchit," Tracey replied.  
"Do you know the defendant?"  
Tracey nodded. "Yes, I do."  
"How do you know him?"  
"He used to be Ash and Misty's friend." He put emphasis on the phrase 'used to be'.  
"Were you ever friends with him?"  
Tracey thought about that for a minute. "No, not really. We hardly ever saw each other."  
"Now, before the crime in question was committed, you and the defendant got into a fight, correct?"  
Tracey nodded. "Yes," he said.  
"And the defendant eventually threatened to kill you, did he not?"  
"Well...not directly," Tracey said. He didn't want to see Brock go free, but he didn't want to lie.  
"What did he say? Can you remember the exact words?"  
Tracey nodded. He remembered all to well. "He said, I quote 'I wish someone would get rid of you...in fact, I wouldn't be afraid to be that person.' Unquote."  
"So, it wasn't hard to understand what he meant?"  
Tracey shook his head. "No, it wasn't."  
"When you and Mr. Ketchum were walking home on that day, did you see anything suspicious as you crossed the road?"  
Tracey shook his head. "No, I didn't. I thought that the road was clear, or I wouldn't have run out there."  
"Can you tell us what happened after that?"  
"Ash...he saw something coming and yelled at me to look out...and I turned just in time to see headlights coming at me...and he pushed me out of the way...my hand hit the side of the car, but I managed to get a look at who was in the driver's seat of the car..."  
"Was it a 1999 Ford Taurus?"  
"I'm not sure of the make..." Tracey said. "But it did look like a rather new car..."  
"And did you see Mr. Ketchum go under the tires of the car?"  
"No, I didn't see him go under, I just heard him scream."  
"Did you attempt to move him or anything?"  
Tracey shook his head. "I didn't know how bad he was hurt, and my wrist was broken, so I just went to call an ambulance..." He was beginning to choke up.  
"Last question, Tracey. Why do you think that the defendant would do this?"  
Tracey noticed Brock glaring at him. He looked so creepy in that prison uniform... "He wanted to run me down," he said, determined not to let Brock mess with his mind. "And he had already told me that he wasn't afraid to get rid of me..."  
"But did he hit the brakes or anything when he saw that Ash was in the way instead of you?"  
"No. I didn't see the car slow down at all...and I heard the engine rev up..."  
"Thank you, Tracey," Woods said. She turned to the defense council. "Your witness."  
The defense lawyer, a young man by the name of Garth Maudsley, stood up. He didn't look too confident in himself. But he did his best at hiding it when he walked up to the stand. "Well...on the day in question, it was raining, was it not?"  
Tracey nodded. "Yes, it was."  
"And it was rather gloomy out, right?"  
"Yes..."  
"So...could it be possible that my client didn't see you and Mr. Ketchum on the road?"  
Tracey shook his head. "No, I don't think it's possible," he said.   
"But do you know for sure?"  
"No, I don't, but I don't believe that he could have not seen us there. And even if he didn't at first, there's no way that he couldn't have seen us on the crosswalk...and there's no reason why he couldn't try to brake..."  
There was a momentary flash in Maudsley's eyes. He had heard from Brock that Tracey was rather weak and would probably shatter on the stand. But what was happening was far from that. "Now, I'd like to go back to this fight that he and you had before hand. You said that he threatened you...but could that be because you hit him?"  
"Yes, I did," Tracey said. "But I was acting in self-defense. He threw the first punch."  
Maudsley was quiet for a moment before he turned to Judge Knowles. "No further questions," he said. He walked back to the table and immersed himself into a brief but quiet argument with Brock.  
Judge Knowles turned to Tracey. "You may step down," he said.  
Tracey got to his feet and walked back to his seat, showing no sign of emotion whatsoever.   
Professor Oak clapped him on the shoulder. "You did good, Tracey," he said.  
Misty gave him a small smile. "Great job," she said to him.  
"Council, please call your next witness."  
Woods stood up again. "Prosecutor calls Professor Samuel Oak," she said.  
The professor walked up to the stand, sat down, and was sworn in.   
"You knew the defendant pretty well, did you not?" Woods said.  
"Yes, I did," the professor replied.   
"How would you describe him?"  
"Well...at first, he was a great guy. He was a good friend to Ash and Misty, and they adored him...but it seemed that, after Ash and Misty got together and started dating...he changed. He became very withdrawn and very...angry. I recall having to ask him to leave my lab on several occasions."  
"Did you witness the fight between Mr. Harrison and Mr. Sketchit?"  
Professor Oak nodded. "I didn't witness the argument, but I walked in as soon as the first punch was thrown."  
"And Mr. Harrison was the first to throw a punch?"  
"Yes, he was. I'm positive of it."  
"And you heard Mr. Harrison's threat?"  
"Yes, I did."  
"What did you do?"  
"I told him that I thought it best that he leave."  
"Thank you, professor." Woods smiled. "Your witness."  
Maudsley stood up. "I have no questions," he said.  
Tracey raised his eyebrows as Professor Oak sat back down. "Hey, you did a great job!" he said.  
Misty shut her eyes, knowing that she was next.  
Sure enough, Woods cleared her throat. "Prosecutor calls Misty Williams to the stand."  
Tracey grabbed her arm for a brief moment. "Don't let him get to you. Answer with your heart. He'll try to glare you down, but show him that you're a strong woman."  
Misty nodded and took her seat at the stand. She was sworn in, just like the others.  
"You and Mr. Ketchum were close, weren't you?" Woods asked.  
"Yeah, we were," Misty replied.  
"How close?"  
"He was my fiancé."  
"And what about you and Mr. Harrison?"  
Misty sighed. "He was one of my best friends," she said truthfully.   
"What changed?"  
Misty noticed Brock glaring at her. He was trying to break her down. But she wasn't about to go down that easy. Not for him. "He became really mean towards Tracey...and he started acting really jealous around Ash and I..."  
"Did you ever talk with him about it?"  
"No, I did not."  
"Did you witness the fight?"  
Misty shook her head. "I was there when the threat was made, though," she said.  
"And did Mr. Sketchit retaliate in any way?"  
"No," Misty said.  
"Thank you, Misty." Woods once again turned to Maudsley. "Your witness."  
Maudsley stood up, looking more confident. Brock had told him that she was emotionally unstable because of this whole thing and that attacking her relationship with Ash would break her down. "So..." he said. "You say that you and Mr. Ketchum were engaged, right?"  
"Yes, we were," Misty said.   
"And you never had any feelings for my client?"  
"Never in my life," Misty said, disgusted at even the thought.  
"And you were always completely faithful to your fiancé?"  
Misty knew what was going on, and she wasn't about to play along. "Completely," she said.   
"You never went to my client when things went bad between you and Mr. Ketchum?"  
"No, I did not," Misty said, staring defiantly at Maudsley. "If things ever did go bad between me and Ash, I went to Ash's mother with my problems. I never went to him, or to Tracey, or anyone else."  
Maudsley was surprised by Misty's strength. "Well, then, did you ever give my client any clue that you wanted to be with him?"  
Misty mentally rolled her eyes, wishing that this loser would just give up. "Never," she said.  
Maudsley decided that Misty wasn't going to give in. "No further questions, your honour."  
Misty walked back to her seat and accepted congratulations from everyone.  
Hours passed. Witness after witness testified against Brock. Nothing new was discovered until Woods stood up. "At this time, I would like to present exhibit A," she said.  
Misty and Tracey shared a glance. "What could that possibly be?" Misty said.  
Tracey shrugged.  
Woods continued as she pulled a video tape out. "As you know, your honour, Pallet Town has recently had a bit of a problem with car accidents, so the City installed video cameras in each and every traffic light in town. This video shows the hit-and-run taking place. With your permission, I would like to play this tape."  
Judge Knowles nodded. "Proceed," he said.  
Every eye in the room was on the TV screen as the image came on. It showed a calm street before two figures came into the range of the camera. Misty's heart began to race as she recognized Ash and Tracey. The time in the corner read 9:05pm. They watched as as Tracey, on the video, began to run out onto a perfectly clear street, dotted only by the rain. They heard an engine and they saw a black Ford Taurus come zooming into range. They watched as Ash ran out and shoved Tracey out of the way and was immediately knocked to the ground.   
Misty watched as her fiancé was pulled under the car and she felt tears in her eyes.   
Tracey had to look away. He couldn't bear it.  
Misty was trying her hardest not to believe it when Woods paused it on a frame that clearly showed that Brock was in the driver's seat. "As you can see, it was the defendant in this car."  
  
***  
  
The court was in recess, waiting for the jury to make a decision. Professor Oak was trying to comfort Delia, who was in hysterics after watching the video. Tracey was staring at his feet. Misty had her head in her hands and was crying softly. In a way, she was glad to see the video, because now she knew what had happened. But she was mostly devastated by it.  
Everyone looked up as the jury filed into the room. All twelve of them looked sure of themselves as they sat down.  
Judge Knowles looked at them. "Jury, have you reached a decision?" he said.  
The foreman stood up. "Yes, we have," he said.  
"Please tell us your verdict."  
The man took a deep breath. "We find the defendant not guilty of uttering a threat," he said.  
Tracey noticed a smile crossing Brock's face.   
"On the charge of attempted murder, we find the defendant guilty."  
Brock's smirk disappeared.  
"And on the charge of murder, we find the defendant..."  
The whole room was silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Misty and Delia held each other's hands tightly. Everyone knew that the video had shown it, but still, anything could go wrong.  
"Guilty," the foreman said.  
A cheer erupted from the room as Brock started to argue with his lawyer. Misty and Delia threw their arms around each other. Tracey dropped his head into his hands, crying in relief, thankful that it was all over.   
Misty turned around and looked at Tracey. "It's over," she said.   
"Thank god," Tracey said.  
Neither of them heard the judge pass Brock's sentence, they were too happy.   
As the bailiff handcuffed Brock and began to lead him away, Misty's eyes locked with his. She knew that he was still the girl-crazy idiot that he had once been, somewhere deep inside, but now, he was someone she hated. As he mouthed an apology to her, she turned away. That part of her life was over. Now it was time to move on. Justice had been served, and Ash's death had been avenged.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
  
A/N: Whew, that was a long one! I don't think I've ever written a chapter that long before! Oh, well, I wanted to get the whole trial out of the way. And yeah, there's more. I can't just leave it there! Misty deserves to be happy again, don't she? Anyways, stay tuned for the final chapter! (Always wanted to say that ^_^!)  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Newfound Romance

The Heart Must Survive  
Part 5 - Newfound Love  
  
Disclaimer: I am so sick of saying this, but they're not freaking mine! Now leave me alone about it!  
  
Summary: It's been six months since Ash's death and Brock's trial. Misty has been trying her best to go on, but now, an familiar feeling is creeping back into her heart...  
  
A/N: It's all at the end. This is a really crappy chapter. Writer's block was threatening to pull me in as I wrote this. Good thing it's the end... *******************************************************************************************************************  
Misty kneeled in front of Ash's grave, holding a small bouquet of white roses. She placed them on the stone marker. "Oh, Ash..." she said. Six months had passed since she had lost him. It was getting easier for her, but not by much. The trial that had followed his death had taken a lot out of all of them. Brock had been sentenced to twenty years in prison for Ash's murder and ten more for attempting to murder Tracey.   
She sighed, wishing that she could just stop thinking about it. "I wish you could possibly know how much I miss you...it's so hard with you not here...I love you so much...I still love you. But..."  
She shut her eyes. She hated it when there was a 'but' to it. For the past little while, she had been contemplating starting to date again. It wasn't an easy decision. Gary was making it slightly harder for her, constantly telling her that he was the only logical choice for her. He was a slightly better person now than he had been, and Misty had thought about dating him for a bit, but her eyes were on someone else. The one person that almost everyone thought that she would just walk right past, and yet, oddly the only person who had really tried to help her out for the past little while. The person that Ash had made to promise to watch over her after he was gone.  
"I know you said that I shouldn't be lonely, that I should try to move on after you were gone...but I feel so guilty for falling for someone else...especially when that someone else is such a close friend..."  
"Misty?" a voice said from behind her.  
Misty stood up and turned around to see Delia walking up behind her.   
"I woke up and saw that you were gone," Delia said. "I was a little worried...but I thought you'd be here."  
Misty looked down at the grave. "It's been six months," she said.  
"Yes...Misty, are you okay? You look like there's more on your mind."  
Misty nodded. "I've been thinking of getting out there and dating again...but I feel like that would betray Ash...it's so hard..."  
Delia smiled. "It's only as hard as you want to make it, Misty," she said. "Do you really want to start dating again, or do you just think that people expect you to by now?"  
Misty bit her lip. "I guess it's sort of half and half, really," she said.  
"What do you mean?"  
Misty sighed. "I want to find someone...but I don't know if anyone would really understand what I've been through..."  
Delia's smile grew. "Except for the man that you want to start dating," she said.  
"Huh?" Misty asked, surprised.  
"I always said that I consider you my daughter, Misty, and I can tell when you're hiding certain...romantic feelings from someone. It's all in your eyes. When you're around this person, I can see it."  
Misty felt a smile begin to creep onto her face. "Well, if you know so much...who is it?"  
Delia turned and pointed to the car. "My driver there."  
Misty looked and saw Tracey sitting in the front seat. He waved and she quickly turned away. "How did you know?" she asked.  
"Like I said, it's in the eyes." She sighed. "Misty, there's nothing wrong with it. Love is the heart's department, not the mind's. You don't think love, you feel love. And if Tracey's the one that your heart wants to fall for, let it." She laughed a bit. "Plus, I think he feels pretty much the same way. He's terrible at hiding it."  
Misty smiled and followed Delia back to the car.  
  
***  
  
Professor Oak found Tracey leaning on a fence, looking out at the mountains. "Tracey, I have to ask you...are you all right?" he said.  
Tracey turned around. "Yeah, I'm fine, professor," he said. "Why do you ask?"  
"I don't know...I've just noticed that you seem to be...distracted lately."  
"Oh," Tracey said, looking at his hands.  
"It's not a problem," the professor said. "I'm just wondering if you're okay, that's all."  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Tracey said.  
The professor looked at him for a few more seconds before speaking again. "It's Misty, isn't it?" he said.  
"What?" Tracey said, looking a little startled.   
"Tracey, you are so terrible at hiding things. I can tell that you're falling for that girl."  
Tracey bit his lip. "It's that obvious?" he said.  
The professor nodded. "Yes, it is," he said. "So, are you?" He knew the answer, he just wanted to get it out of Tracey himself.  
Tracey was quiet. Finally, he nodded. "But I don't think I have a chance," he said.  
"Why not?"  
Tracey turned back to the mountain view. "Just 'cause of what she's gone through...losing Ash and all...she's already said that she doesn't want to get involved with anyone, 'cause no one really understands her situation..."  
"But you do," the professor said. "You know what's happened. You understand her feelings. And you've been the only guy around here that's tried to help her out. Every other guy in this town just wants her for themselves, but you've got her feelings in mind whenever you're around her."  
Tracey shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't want to put her in that position. She's still hurting over Ash's death, and if something were to happen between her and me...it would break her heart completely."  
"Well, it is your choice," the professor said. "I've never told you what to do in your personal life before."  
Tracey watched the professor walk away. He sighed. Love was way too complicated for him. *It wouldn't be if you had fallen for someone else!* his brain scolded him.   
He sighed. "Life. It can really bite you in the butt sometimes."  
  
***  
  
Misty lay sprawled out on her bed, reading a book that she had recently borrowed from the library. She made a bit of a face at one of the pages and put it down. "Danielle Steel should meet me," she said. "I'm living what she writes..." She sat up. Her mind began to wander like so many times before. She finally clapped her hands over her eyes. "Why is this happening to me?!" she cried into her palms. "Why, out of six billion people on this planet, do I get dumped on?!"  
Delia knocked on her door. "Mist?" she said. "Are you okay?"  
Misty felt the rush of tears. She hadn't cried for a few months, but there was something about that day that was wreaking havoc on her. "No!" she cried. "I'm not okay!"  
Delia rushed to her side. "What's wrong?" she asked.  
Misty felt Delia's hand on her shouder. "Everything's wrong!" she wailed. "Nothing's working right for me anymore!"  
Delia rubbed her shoulder. "Misty...I know how you feel, girl. But you have to try to make it work!"  
"I don't want to anymore! I don't want to try anymore! I'm sick of it! I'm going nowhere and I'm sick of it!"  
Delia pulled her close. "Oh, Misty...I wish so much that I could make you feel better...but perhaps I'm not the one you need to talk to if you want to feel better."  
"What do you mean?" Misty asked.  
"You know what I mean, Misty."  
  
***  
  
Tracey was sitting on a small bluff on the boundary of Professor Oak's research area. He had his sketchpad in hand, but wasn't concentrating on it. He was staring out at the sunset. He hadn't really expected the events of the last six or so months to affect him the way that they had, but they were. He supposed it was part of losing one's best friend, and being there when the thing that took the friend's life happened. He could still see that car coming at them whenever he tried to sleep. He could still hear Ash's voice, making him promise to look after Misty. He could still feel the anxiety of speaking at the trial.   
"If only you were still here, Ash," he said. "Things would be so much simpler...none of this would have to be happening. You and Misty would be married...I'd still be working here...and we'd all be happy." He sighed. "I guess things just never go our way..."  
"You got that right," Misty's voice came from behind him.  
Tracey spun around. "Misty...I didn't see you there."  
Misty sat down beside him. "I didn't expect you to." She sighed. "Beautiful sunset, huh?"   
"Yeah," Tracey said.  
"Ash and I used to do this...stare at the sunset...of course, he'd make an idiot out of himself by staring right at the sun and blinding himself for a week..."  
Tracey laughed a little.  
"It's funny how the things that used to bug me about him are the things that I want back so much now..."  
"Like when Mr. Mime would try to sweep his face and Pikachu would zap everyone in the room?"  
"Yeah," Misty said, a smile on her face. She was quiet for a moment, trying to think of something to say.   
Tracey watched her as her eyes began to tear up. "Misty? You okay?" he asked.  
Misty nodded. "I just...don't know how to say what I want to say right now..." she said. "And it's odd, 'cause I've said it before...just to a different person..."  
Tracey knew where she was heading, but said nothing.  
"Trace...I've tried so hard to put Ash's death behind me...but it's just so hard...I can't do it alone. I need someone to be there for me."  
"What are you saying?" Tracey said softly.  
"I'm saying that...you're the only one who's tried to help me through this...Delia and the professor did, too, of course, but...somehow, your help meant more to me...and I...I don't think that I can make it through anymore without you there with me..."  
Tracey tried to sift through this information. "Are you saying..."  
Misty looked at him, then at her hands. "I wish it was as easy as telling you that I loved you...because I know that I'm getting there...but there's always that voice in my head telling me that it's too soon...that I'll betray Ash by falling in love with you..." She burst into tears and buried her head in her hands.  
Tracey looked out at the sun for a second before looking back to her. He slowly, hesitantly, wrapped one arm around her shoulder. "It's okay, Misty," he said softly. "I understand how you feel, to a point...and I'm here for you when you're ready."  
Misty wiped her eyes and smiled at him. "You've always been such a good friend...and you're my first choice when I am ready to date again. It's just not now."  
Tracey wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her close. "Take as long as you want to, Misty. It's your life, not mine."  
  
***  
  
FIVE YEARS LATER....  
  
Misty sat at her desk, pen in hand, trying to think of a way to write what she wanted to write. Her newly evolved Togetic sat on the desk, too, eyeing the paper as if trying to figure out what it was for. Pikachu, who had refused to be seperated from Misty ever since Ash's death, sat on the bed, lecturing Togetic in Poké-language about sitting on 'people-stuff' that wasn't meant to be sat on.   
Finally, Misty touched the pen to her paper and began to write.  
  
'Dear Ash;  
Some people would say that I'm crazy, writing to a person who's been gone for five and a half years, but somehow this makes me feel better. I know this letter will just blow away, or be stolen, or thrown out, but I think that you'll see it, wherever you are. Maybe you're even looking at it over my shoulder right now...that would be so you to do that.  
It's been five and a half years now. I can't put it into words, how hard it's been without you. There have been times when I've lost faith in life completely...times where I've thought that death wasn't such a bad idea...after all, I'd be with you. But somehow, I managed to pull through. And where I am now, I know you would never believe. You remember how you told me that I deserved to move on, find someone to make me happy? Well...I guess I took your advice there. After I lost you, I realized that Tracey was there for me more than anyone else...it took a long time, but I finally worked up the nerve to ask him out...and we hit it off. We dated for about six months, and on the six-month anniversary of him and me as a couple, he asked me to marry him. Stupid me, I shot him down. I guess I just wasn't ready...he was so hurt...and I felt like crap. And that night, you came to me in a dream...you were just shaking your head...and telling me how stupid I was...but you were joking, 'cause you had that impish grin on your face the whole time...I woke up the next morning and he was gone. He went back to the Orange Islands. I thought that I had lost my chance until Professor Oak clued me in on where Tracey went. I motored down there as fast as I could (and met Rudy again...but that's a whole different story, and one you probably don't wanna hear!) and found him. I literally got down on my knees to apologize. I guess it's in my blood. I have to break a heart before I'll accept it. One day, I'll knock that off.  
Anyway, he forgave me and we came back to Pallet Town. Three months later, we got married. We got married under this beautiful old gazebo. Your mother cried through the whole thing. As soon as the wedding march started playing, she broke down into tears and she didn't stop until Gary started making a butthead out of himself at the reception.   
After that, Tracey headed out to university on Mandarin Island. Talk about a LONG four years...we were happy to see each other again, that's for sure. He's once again Professor Oak's asisstant...I guess he's happy doing that.  
And just last year, we had our first baby. Geez, I can hear you laughing right now...you done yet? Good. Anyway, we had a little boy. His name is Kian Ashton...well, you know his last name. (A/N: I love Tracey and all, but I HATE his last name...I avoid writing it whenever I can.) Tracey's already worrying about how much he's gonna get picked on...I tell him to chill out. The baby's with Tracey now, that's how I found time to write this.  
Your mother's doing fine. She's talked about dating, too, but I know she's happy the way she is. She misses you a lot, and we all have our days where we just cry 'cause we miss you so much, but we manage to go on.  
Professor Oak..well, other than a few health problems, he's still going strong. He's undergoing some really big research on the Legendary Pokémon...and we were stunned beyond belief when Mew and Mewtwo appeared out of nowhere just to help him out...guess that means that Mewtwo's anger towards humans has disappeared...  
Gary won the League last year. Yep, he's the Pokémon Master. But when he went up to accept his trophy, he dedicated his win to you. That made me, your mother, and the professor cry...  
It's getting late now...I had better sign off...I don't really want to, 'cause writing this has made me feel like you're alive again...that you're just far away...but reality has to sink in sometime...I miss you with all of my heart, Ash, I always will, but trust in me when I say that I'm happy. I have a family now, and that's what I wanted. Maybe it's not with you, but I know you're watching me...with a goofy grin on your face and that stupid hat still on your head...I guess I can just see it.  
  
Forever Love,  
Misty'  
  
  
THE END  
  
A/N: Okay, happy? I didn't go into details! But that's just 'cause I didn't think writing a TAML would be that hard...but it was...I wonder how the Gymshippers do this, make up weird things with no physical evidence to back it up? Maybe I should try writing a Gymshippy thing *cough cough* ooh... *hack* I feel ill... *gag* Forget that. Anyway, I promise that this is the last depressing AAML I write, okay? All the rest of my AAMLs will be happy. Happy, happy, happy. And Misty will always end up with Ash in all my other ones. As for Brock, I'll try to write something where he's the normal girl-crazy hormone head he always is. If my next story is depressing, then you never have to read another one of my fics ever again. That's the Chik's promise.  
  



End file.
